Looking Backward 4.17.2014

Two new directors were seated on the Ava R-1 Board of Education Monday Night before the board waded into a rather lengthy agenda. At the onset of the session, out-going members Pete Mooney and Logan Brown were recognized and presented with certificates of appreciation for the service to the school district. Then the oath of office was administered to Zane Gray and Dr. Jerry Jumper, who were elected to the board on Apr. 4.

Chancy Sherman, 74, former sheriff of Douglas County, was struck and killed by a Burlington Northern train at the east edge of Mansfield Sunday morning.

A retirement dinner for Albert Elliott, who recently retired from the Missouri Highway and Trans­portation Department, was well attended here last Friday night. Elliott worked 29 years with the Highway Department, retiring as maintenance crew leader. All 29 years were spent at Ava.

The Rev. Michael Linderman has been called to pastor First Southern Baptist Church in Ava.

Mr. and Mrs. Carl I. Olson, of rural Ava, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary March 31 at the family home west of Ava.

Thursday last week Charley and Gloria Kennedy of Jefferson City came to Ava to be with his mother, Betty Kennedy, who would cele­brate her birthday on Sunday.

Dean Kane, Ava, has been named to fill a vacancy in the Douglas County Sheriff’s Depart­ment staff, it is announced by Sheriff Roldan Turner. Kane suc­ceeds David Hardy who resigned his position as deputy to accept other employment.

The doors will be unlocked and keys hidden during a countywide all-day open house at the new county jail building Saturday. The open house in the $38,000 building will be jointly sponsored by the county court, Ava City Council and chamber of commerce.

There was a light turnout of vot­ers in the city election Tuesday, but heavy support was given to two propositions –– to extend the city limits and to create a 29-cent tax levy for the park fund. Dick Wal­lace and Bill Pettit are new city council members. Jay Monger of Ava, and Fred Snelson of Wasola, both elected to the school board, were returned to the board by dis­trict voters.

Two Ava High School youths, Junior Sagerser, a junior, and Richard Miller, senior, will be awarded State Farmer degrees Friday evening, April 17, at the state convention.

Mr. and Mrs. David Pitts of Springfield returned home Sunday night after concluding a weekend visit with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Norman Page of Brushyknob and with Mr. Pitts’ parents, Mr. and Mrs. Pitts and son, Jim, of Ava.

The Ava Junior High School track team won 10 of 14 first places to capture a seven-team track meet held at Mtn. Grove Tuesday after­noon.

The Know Your Neighbor Club of the Gentry community will host­ess a miscellaneous shower Tues­day night, April 14, for Mr. and Mrs. Bill Huffman and daughter, Elaine, who were burned so badly when their home was destroyed by fire on Tuesday night, March 31, and have been patients at Burge Hospital in Springfield since that time.

Three Ava entries in the Spring­field district music festival were awarded top ratings of one, and became eligible for competition in the state festival to be held at Columbia April 24-25. “One” ratings went to Marjorie Moore, piano; Marjorie Robertson, saxo­phone, and Gary Smith, vocal solo, it was announced by King Shollen­berger, instructor.

The A&M Telephone Co. office smelled to high heaven Sunday morning, after the toilet stool erupted. During the two-inch rain Saturday night a main sewer line near the building became stopped up, and the water and sewage backed up, with the toilet stool the nearest emergency exit. The local maintenance man, Harold Dye, just happened to go by the office. When he opened the door, the flood struck him. Water and Grime had accumulated four inches deep over the entire floor, with only a tiny crack under the door for it to drain out. Harold said that if he had not gone to the office, water would probably have climbed into the delicate automatic switchboard equipment and no telling what might have happened to telephone operations.

RED BANK –– Mr. and Mrs. Gary Lirley and two children of Wichita, Kan., moved last week to a farm owned by Mrs. Lirley’s mother, Mrs. Rocca Maggard.

75 Years Ago

April 12, 1939

Charles R. Moore, presiding judge of the Douglas County Court, was unable to attend court Friday last week. Judge Moore, past sixty years of age, had the mumps.

A fire, which broke out shortly before midnight Tuesday, destroyed the stock of the A.E. Maxey furniture company and the building it occupied, causing a loss estimated at about $2,000. The blaze was discovered by Bill Livingston, who lives at the Kirk Hotel, who immediately roused other occupants of the hotel and notified the fire department. Fire­men were unable to salvage any­thing from the store because of the start the fire had when they reached the scene, and the entire contents of the building were ruined.

A temperature of approximately twenty-five degrees Tuesday night badly damaged prospects for a fruit crop in this section, according to County Agent A.T. Goodding. The drop in temperature is also believed to have damaged some farm crops.

A number of Ava business and professional men are wondering what became of an “advertising salesman” who recently collected fifty cents from them for an adver­tisement to appear on a “shopping directory.” According to the “salesman’s” story, he was to have the ad printed on a large card with some forty or fifty other business firms of Ava, and to give each merchant a number of cards for distribution. After two weeks passed and no cards were delivered, they discovered that they were only a few of the many who had been gypped on the scheme, and charged their fifty cents up to experience. The Branson newspaper brings the news this week that he has been arrested on various charges, and Branson authorities are waiting for word from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Easy money, this ‘gyp’ advertising.

Electrification of rural Laclede County was assured this week as notification of the allotment of $158,000 for the construction of 152 miles of line was received by the Laclede Electric Cooperative, sponsoring agent of the local project.

Bike Meets Car –– A car acci­dent near Ava last week was a close call for 11-year-old John Cairnea. The car was driven by Hardy Brixey of Denlow. As the car had just turned on the highway from the farm entrance, the boy on his bike headed for the same side of the road. The boy received several bruises and cuts, and his bicycle was damaged badly.

A child born during the year 1939 has about one chance in three of being killed or injured in an automobile accident. Drive safely and give these children a chance.

Now any family can afford good coffee! The new MFA Coffee is a high quality coffee, sold through Farmers’ Exchanges at the price of ordinary coffees! It’s so rich…so full-flavored …so delicious, you will be amazed that such good coffee costs so little. Ava Farmers Exchange. Guaranteed!

100 Years Ago

April 23, 1914

War With Mexico Almost Certain –– Mexico Fires First Gun and Americans Return Fire –

Mexican Ambassador to Washington Is Recalled.

Monday, April 20 –– President Wilson goes before both Houses of Congress to read message asking for authority to act in such a way and to such an extent as conditions in Mexico justify. Commander Hughes, Chief of Staff of the American fleet, orders Mexican Federal commander to order all American merchant ships out of harbor. When the Americans attempted to land on the Mexican coast, they were fired upon. A battle resulted in which four Americans lost their lives and twelve were wounded.

Ava is to have an ice plant. Arrangements have been completed and the work is being pushed as rapidly as possible. The machinery has already arrived and will be in­stalled as soon as the building is completed. The promoters of the industry are Geo. B. Wilson and Otto Clapp. It will be put in at a cost of about $4,000 and will be located on a lot just east of the Ava Milling Co.’s block, next to and adjoining the Grandma Reynolds old home property.

Measles and mumps are pretty well scattered. Several new cases reported in Oak Forest district.

“Vote for women” in the recent Illinois election added 24 dry counties to the list and put out of commission 1,100 saloons. And still more will say that women had ought not to be allowed a right to vote. We would like to see it tried in Missouri once just to see what the result would be.

SILVERTON CHAT –– The weatherman keeps us guessing. Sometimes the air is balmy and sunshine warm and golden and we are tempted to believe spring is here and fleet footed summer coming. Next we are met with a frigid breath and chilly reception and are made to feel that King Winter is not very far in the rear, while the green robbed Fairy Queen of spring is still flitting in the by.

Elza and Earnest Johnson have put in a new confectionery on the Wilson block south of the post of­fice. It will be known as the John­son Confectionery. The finest in the city.

Many in Ava and surrounding country witnessed the beauty of a meteor last Tuesday night. It seemed to be in an easterly direc­tion from Ava, and from Chaney it appeared west. It lit up the Heav­ens and Earth as light as day for a minute. The explosion made a report like a large blast, and was heard for miles around.

125 Years Ago

April 18, 1889

Dr. Seward Webb, one of the Vanderbilt sons-in-law, who has started with his family for an 18,000-mile pleasure trip, will travel with every luxury and con­venience in his train of four saloon-cars. The nursery car is not only stocked with toys for the children but has swings, rocking-horses, and other juvenile joys, and the bath­room tank holds 500 gallons of hot and cold water.

Owing to a steady downpouring of rain the president abandoned his proposed trip down the Potomac.

Yellow and other fevers are re­ported raging with great violence at Rio de Janeiro. Much of the trouble is due to lack of proper sewage because of drought. An epidemic of yellow fever is raging in Fair­bury, Ill., and churches and schools are closed. Six deaths and twenty cases have so far been reported.

Judge Travers of the Circuit Court sitting at Mount Pleasant, Ia., has decided that cider is an intoxi­cant under the prohibitory law and its sale is illegal.

Cattlemen’s fences along the Indian Territory bordering on the Cherokee strip have been destroyed presumably by Oklahoma “boomers.”

The largest ruby in the world is said to be a stone weighing twenty-four carats and measuring an inch in length and three-quarters of an inch in width. It is owned in London.

“On to Oklahoma!” is now the watchword of the thousands of home seekers who have anxiously awaited the President’s proclama­tion opening this vast and rich country to public settlement. Colo­nies are being formed in every State and Territory in the Union.

An honest doctor, finding his patient suffering from that most common of American maladies –– bilious dyspepsia, or in other words from Torpid Liver, associated with indigestion, advised him to go to the drug store and get Dr. Pierce’s Golden Medical Discovery, the world-famed remedy for such ail­ments. Golden Medical Discovery acts powerfully upon the Liver, and through that great blood-purifying organ, cleanses the system of all blood taints and impurities, from whatever cause arising. It is equally efficacious in acting upon the kidneys, and other excretory organs, cleansing and strengthening them and healing their diseases.

Brooklyn ice-cream makers use arsenical coloring matters and an overdose of color a few days ago came near causing the death of every person who partook of the cream.

At Springfield there is a Turkish praying rug on exhibition. It is said to be 1,000 years old and valued at $2,500.

The anti-Jesuit agitation in Canada continues.

Diphtheria of a most malignant type has broken out for a second time in portions of Lehigh County, Penn.